Two Projects in One: A. “Objective” Evidence-Based Report and B. Analytical Evidence-Based Argument

Formal Project 1 REVISED

I use this two-part assignment to bring in some short crime lit, which the students usually enjoy. We start with writing an “objective” fact-based crime report on the story, which leads to some great language discussions/exercises in class. What makes language biased? What’s the difference between report and analysis? How can we control our language?  How can we simply relay the “facts” and limit our own deductions/analyses? Why is it important to do so?  When does it matter that write “objectively” and is that even totally possible? Then, for part two, the focus becomes a psych analysis, APA style thesis-based writing piece that requires both primary and secondary research as “evidence.”